Saturday August 31, 10:30-16:00

Melsop Farm Park, Ellingham Road, Scoulton, Nr Watton, Norfolk
NR9 4NT website

Event page on Facebook

Connecting Wool Producers with Spinners and Weavers and discovering how we can promote wool from East Anglia.

If you’re a wool producer, come and find out the real value of your fleeces! If you work with wool, meet wool producers and buy rare breed fleeces.

£12 admission – includes entry to the park, buffet lunch and talks from the Rare Breed Survival Trust.

This year we are excited to announce Amanda Hannaford will also be speaking.

Amanda Hannaford has had 35 years experience as a handspinner, took her Asscociation Certificate in 1997 and a City and Guilds Stage1 teaching certificate 2000. She has been teaching ever since and has travelled all over the UK, Europe and more recently to Afghanistan and Tibet to share her knowledge. When she first started hand-spinning, there was very little in the way of ready-processed fibres available to the public, so naturally she used the fleece that were available locally in Cornwall. Therefore she has had many years experience in skirting, sorting and washing fleece for hand spinning. She has had many beautiful fleece from a wide variety of breeds through her hands, as well as the not-so-nice, and occasionally the downright awful that is only fit for the compost heap or bean trench. When she visits us Amanda hopes we will provide her with several different local and rare breed fleece that she can open out and discuss with us, explaining the good and bad points of each fleece through a spinner’s eyes. She can point out exactly what a handspinner would look for, how they best like the fleece to be presented and what they might make from its fibre.


Tickets are £12 per person and booking is essential. For more information or to book, contact Mary Watkins at: marydoddswatkins@hotmail.com

Payment by bank transfer (details given upon booking) or cheques made out to RBST East Anglia Support Group

As in previous years, when it was named ‘Maker’s Month’, guild members attended this event to demonstrate our crafts.

On the opening day of the event, the RBST brought along some rare breed sheep to demonstrate sheep shearing. February is a little chilly for naked sheep, so some of our members kindly provided them with coats, sewn from fabric handwoven by the public during previous years’ events.

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We demonstrated spinning, weaving, and kumihimo alongside the four other Norfolk guilds, and at times our stand was completely surrounded by interested members of the public.

There was also a gallery area displaying the work of local fibre artists, including some pieces by guild members.

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It was a very enjoyable event, with lots to look at and so many different people to talk to, and we look forward to participating again next year.

During the week of the last meeting members of the Guild had joined with other Norfolk Guilds to demonstrate, run ‘have a go sessions’ and workshops, at The Forum In Norwich during Maker’s Month.
This is a view from the Saturday where Guild members can be spotted. Mary, representing the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, was outside spinning Whiteface Woodland Fleece from a sheep shorn in public that morning.